'Thermal Touch' Tech Turns Any Surface Into a Touch Screen

Sure, wearable headsets are practical and fun, but are they reaching their full potential? Not according to augmented reality firm Metaio, which this week unveiled a thermal imaging system for use in AR headsets.

The company's initial Thermal Touch prototype attaches infrared and standard cameras to a tablet, which then tracks the heat signature left behind when you touch a surface.

Still about five or 10 years away from hitting the market, the technology will eventually focus on heads-up displays (HUDs) or interactive spectacles.

"Everyone is talking about wearable computing eyewear like Google Glass," Metaio CEO Peter Meier said in a statement. "But no one is talking about the best way to actually use those devices. We need [a] natural, convenient interface to navigate the technology of tomorrow, and that's why we developed 'Thermal Touch.'"

The final product, as displayed in Metaio's video below, could allow users to "click" on merchandise on a magazine page, play a virtual game of chess on an empty table, dial a phone number on the wall, or even design a product mock-up without wasting materials.

"Imagine pushing directions to your device simply by touching a static map in a shopping mall, building complex, or airport," the company said in a blog post. "Children could bring play to new levels and launch digital content directly from their toys [and] service technicians could pull up information just by touching an object in real life."

Attendees at next week's Augmented World Expo from May 27 to 29 in Santa Clara, Calif., can check out the Thermal Touch prototype. The technology will also be on display at 2014 InsideAR in Tokyo (July 8), Beijing (Sept. 5), and Munich (Oct. 29-30).

Check out the company's video for a closer look at the Thermal Touch prototype, and a better idea of what Metaio hopes to accomplish in the future.

Stephanie began as a PCMag reporter in May 2012. She moved to New York City from Frederick, Md., where she worked for four years as a multimedia reporter at the second-largest daily newspaper in Maryland. She interned at Baltimore magazine and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (in the town of Indiana, in the state of Pennsylvania) with a degree in journalism and mass communications.
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